8230: Ruling on being forced to shave one’s beard for those who work in the army

I am in the army and I always shave my beard, because I am forced to do so. Is this haraam or not?

Praise be to Allaah.

It is not permissible to shave the beard, because according
to saheeh ahaadeeth, the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded us to leave it
alone and let it grow. He (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that by leaving it alone
and letting it grow, we would be differing from the Magians and mushrikeen,
and he (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) had a thick beard. It is obligatory for us to obey
the Messenger (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him); following his example with regard to attitude
and actions is one of the best deeds, because Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):

“Indeed in the Messenger of Allaah
(Muhammad) you have a good example to follow [al-Ahzaab 33:21]

“And let those who oppose
the Messenger’s (Muhammad’s) commandment (i.e. his Sunnah legal
ways, orders, acts of worship, statements) (among the sects) beware,
lest some Fitnah (disbelief, trials, afflictions, earthquakes, killing,
overpowered by a tyrant) should befall them or a painful torment be
inflicted on them [al-Noor
24:63]

Imitating the kuffaar is one of the gravest of evil actions,
and is one of the causes of being gathered with them on the Day of Resurrection,
because the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Whoever imitates a people is
one of them.” If you are doing a job where you are required to shave
your beard, do not obey them with regard to that, because the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said, “There is no obedience to any created being if it
involves disobedience to the Creator.” If they oblige you to shave
your beard, then leave that job where you are being forced to do something
that angers Allaah. There are many other ways of earning a living, may
Allaah be praised. Whoever gives up something for the sake of Allaah,
Allaah will compensate him with something better than that.

May Allaah help you and make things easier for you. May
He make us and you steadfast in His religion.